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Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Vexillology is the scientific study of
flags and related emblems. It is concerned with research into flags of all
kinds, both modern and historical, the creation of a body of practice for flag
design and usage, and of a body of theory of flag development. Vexillology
seeks to understand and explain the important part played by flags in the
modern world. (Flag Institute, UK)

Every two yearsflag experts gather to share their
interest and knowledge about flags in International Congress of Vexillology (ICV).
ICVs are held every two years beginning 1965 when the first ICV was held
at Muiderberg, the Netherlands under the auspices of the International Federation of Vexillological Associations (which is
referred to by its French initials: FIAV
- Fédération Internationale des Associations
Vexillologiques).ICVs consist mainly of lectures, presentations and workshops by the
world’s leading flag experts who
have the opportunity to present their research and activities to their
international peers.

The 26th International
Congress of Vexillology (ICV) was held recently from 31st August - 4th
September, 2015 in Sydney, Australia,
attended by more than 103 delegates from 25 nations. http://www.icv26.com.au/index.html

ICV 26 consisted 33 lectures on a diverse range of flag topics (these
will be published shortly by Flags Australia), excursions to flag related sites, viz. Sydney Observatory
Hill Flag display (1st Sept), visit to Australian War Memorial Annex,
Mitchell, Australian War Memorial and Parliament House in Canberra, Avenue of
Flags on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin (2nd Sept), celebrating
Australian National Flag Day & Australian Merchant Navy Day. One participant
from each nation represented at ICV 26 carried their national flag to the
ceremony on 3rd Sept at Martin Place, catching up with friends with
a shared interest at an informal FOTW meeting at Barracks on Barrack.

ICV26
provided ample opportunities to learn new things about flags and their usage,
to meet old friends and to find new ones for social interaction and networking.
As usual tradition ICV 26 culminated in a final banquet on 4th
September.

“Flags and Stamps” was represented by Sekhar Chakrabarti. He was the sole Indian
participant in Sydney Flag Congress. MrRalph Kelly, Chair of the Organising
Committee for ICV 26, in his letter of invitation on behalf of Flags Australia dated 3 October 2014
wrote; “Our Sydney International congress
will be honoured to have you attend. I have pleasant recollections of meeting
you in Rotterdam at the 25th ICV and I greatly appreciated your
lecture on the ancient symbols of Indian culture. Your scholarship and
contribution to vexillology, philately and national identity in India reflected
in your book The Indian National Flag
unfurled through Philately, a copy of which is in my personal collection”.

On day 2 (Tuesday, 1st
September) Mr Chakrabarti delivered his PPT presentation titled “An early 20th century Indian
National Flag remembering the contribution of an Irish lady made 110 years ago”.
It was an attempt to unravel one of the little known aspects of an early
proposal for an All India National Flag designed by Sister Nivedita – an Irish
lady, resettled in India.

Jonathan Dixon of ‘Flags Australia’ reports in the Flags of the World (FOTW); “Sekhar Chakrabarti led us to the
contribution of an Irish lady to an early 20th century Indian flag by first
reflecting on the women celebrated as first flag makers of national flags - in
the USA, Philippines, Haiti and Cuba. In contrast, an early proposed Indian
national flag was designed by Sister Nivedita. Born Margaret Noble, she was an
Irish woman in India at a time when the 1905 partition of India prompted the
beginning of the Swadeshi nationalist movement. She was one of the
earliest to suggest that they needed a national flag, and designed a flash
employing a yellow thunderbolt symbol, inspired by the Vedas, on a red field
between 108 flames and Bengali text meaning "hail to the mother”. This
text also appears on later nationalist flags”.

Placed here are a few images of the
Sydney Flag Congress;

Sydney Observatory
Hill Flag display (1st Sept)

Presenting books on Indian National
Flag to Prof Michel Lupant, President, FIAV.

The special post mark commemorating
17th ICV in 1997, Cape Town, South Africa. Perhaps, it is the only
philatelic example on International Flag Congress - a present from Mr Bruce Berry of the South African
Vexillological Association (SAVA).

Ralph Kelly and Ralph Bartlett of Flags Australia at the Mt Ainslie Lookout in Canberra (original removed and the cropped version re-posted on 30th Sept.) the duo of the three main architects of the ICV26, who made the Sydney ICV, a GRAND SUCCESS and the most memorable one.

About Me

Sekhar Chakrabarti - Vexillologist, author and a passionate collector of flag stamps and flag artifacts.
His name found a place in the "Limca Book of Records" for his collections of most stamps featuring the Indian National flag.
Curated International exhibitions commemorating 125th Birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore in Kolkata and Cairo (Egypt) organised by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Govt of India in 2011.
Had served as a jury member at several philatelic exhibitions organized by India Post and other philatelic organizations.
Curated a solo exhibition on “Indian National Flag” show casing myriad flag artifacts for the first time in India under the auspices of ICCR, Govt of India in 2014.
First Indian delegate to present original research based papers on aspects of the Indian Flag at the 25th International Congress of Vexillology (ICV25) at Rotterdam, the Netherlands in 2013, ICV26 Sydney Flag Congress, Australia in 2015 and at ICV27 in London Flag Congress in August 2017.
He lives in Kolkata, India.
Email ID: sekhar.chakrabarti@gmail.com